The Lions of Al-Rassan, by Guy Gavriel Kay: ***1/4

I've long enjoyed Kay's work, starting with Tigana five or six years ago before moving on to the Fionovar Tapestry series and then A Song for Arbonne. I haven't reviewed the Fionovar Tapestry series because I read it before I began recording my thoughts this way, but it's good. I've re-read Tigana in the last year because I enjoyed it so much, and I think it likely that I'll re-read the Fionovar Tapestry series at some point (I probably won't re-read A Song for Arbonne, as it's the weakest of his books, though still enjoyable.) The main reason I re-read Tigana before moving onto more Kay was because I found a beautiful hard-cover edition at a book store in Canada, and I thought my wife might enjoy it. (I'd borrowed the book when I first read it.) Of course, after looking it on my bookcase over a period of a couple of weeks, I couldn't keep from starting it again. A friend equally entranced by Kay told me that I should check out Lions..., which for some reason I had always placed in the same category as A Song for Arbonne. My opinion prior to reading Lions... was that Tigana was his best, followed by the Fionovar Tapestry series and then A Song for Arbonne. The Kay list now has a new leader with The Lions of Al-Rassan, which improves upon the complex and exciting characters of Tigana and provides an equally engaging and unique story. This book has many of the same positive attributes as Tigana, but it's slightly more adult (and Kay is already very much an adult author), with more complicated situations developing between his characters. Kay's characters are always vital, exciting, and daunting people, noble and fallible, strong in moral character, but these traits are even more evident in Lions..., and Kay creates some fantastic and memorable moments with the intersection of these entrancing people. Lions... maintains a very similar approach to Tigana in the nature of the story-telling, moving from one character to another to weave a single story from multiple threads and perspectives. Kay does a fantastic job of making these individual perspectives of his characters both reasonable and logical - there are no evil-doers in this tale. I discuss much of the positive aspect of this style of tale-telling in my Tigana review, and the same holds here for Lions....

Despite the fact that I like this a bit better, I would still recommend Tigana instead of this one to first-time readers of fantasy or as an introduction to Kay's work. This book perfects Kay's ideas for me, and I'm glad I read this last (other than the Sarantine Mosaic, which is newer than Lions... I'll get to that at some point.). The others wouldn't necessarily be a disappointment if read after Lions..., but there is a shift in tone in this book, and it's a bit deeper and more real somehow. The other novels by contrast are more fantastic and magical. I see now that there's been a development from magic through to reality in Kay's work, and I don't think it would make as much sense to progress in the other direction. So although I think this is a bit better than Tigana, I don't think readers new to Kay would benefit by starting here. I would hate to spoil Kay's magic and this wonderful journey for someone by sending them to this book first. And anyone that enjoys Tigana will enjoy this as well.
(Fall 2003)

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